All That I Hope To Be
by Icebaerchen
Summary: This is a collection of One Shots featuring Leo and his relationship to the Seven and other characters. I try reading in between the lines of the books, searching for possible moments and conversations that have never been shown. Because Leo is a good kid. And that's all that he hopes to be.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – A trusted friend**

 _"_ _Annabeth's chest filled with liquid hydrogen. She felt like she might shatter into a million frozen pieces. ´You're lying,' she said. ´Leo would never-`_

 _"_ _Leo wished he could invent a time machine. He'd go back two hours and undo what happened. Either that or he could invent a Slap-Leo-in-the-Face machine to punish himself, though he doubted it would hurt a badly as the look Annabeth was giving him."_

 _-The Mark of Athena_

On a rare occasion like this, the engine room of the Argo II was quiet. There were no machines humming, no clicking and creeking sounds. Most people might find this silence relaxing, but Leo thought of it as rather uncomfortable. It has been half an hour since the ship landed and Jason, Piper and Percy went searching for their cranky camp director, Mr. D… Or at least his Roman counterpart. This gave Leo the opportunity to fix some of the damage that had been done to this masterpiece of a ship. Unfortunately, it also gave him time to think.

If anyone had told him that his life could get even more messed up a few month ago, he would have laughed. His resume had already been a mess before he knew that he was the son of some ancient Greek god. But then he was claimed by Hephaestus and went on a quest with his two best friends to save his psychopathic babysitter, the goddess Hera, from the wrath of Gaia and her favourite son, the king of giants. Then he spent months building this wonderful warship while nearly having a burnout (pun might be intended). And finally, he managed to use said warship to attack the city of New Rome, declaring another war between Roman and Greek demigods and most likely ruined the chance of any alliance between them.

Just thinking about all of this made him want to crawl into a corner and hide away for all eternity. Alternatively, he maybe could still build the "Slap-Leo-in-the-Face machine". A sigh escaped his lips. And a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Bronze bulls!" Leo shouted and spun around, only to be met with the interrogating gaze of Annabeth. He totally forgot that the scary blonde was in the same room, helping him to get the engine running smoothly again. "I've been calling you but you didn't react." She simply stated matter-of-factly. Her intelligent grey eyes studied his face carefully, her brows furrowing in the process. "Are you okay?"

Behind her, Leo could see his own reflection in a bronze surface. His hair was a total mess from running his hands through it every so often. His expression was grim and somewhat anxious, his pupils contracted. He reminded himself of a cornered animal, ready to take flight at any moment. Instantly he put on his usual impish grin.

"Of course! Working on the ship that will get us to our insanely dangerous quest and probably impending doom, that's exactly how I like to spend my afternoons! The only thing that's missing are some snacks."

"You still feel guilty about the attack on Camp Jupiter and don't know how to deal with it." Annabeth concluded completely ignoring what he just said. Leo made a surprised sound like he had been punched in the gut, but quickly recovered. "Yeah, I just happened to start the next American Civil War, but that's no reason to feel guilty, right? As long as I don't steel anyone's favourite candy, it's fine I guess."

Somehow his attempts to lighten the mood with sarcasm didn't have any effect either. Annabeth simply crossed her arms, staring down into his eyes. Of course, she didn't just have to be scary as Hades, but also quite a bit taller than him. And his best defence, namely sarcasm, didn't seem to keep her at bay one bit.

"I understand how you feel. But I truly believe that it wasn't really you who launched the attack. That you didn't do it voluntarily." She sounded genuine, like she really didn't accuse him of any wrong-doing. "I think that you're a good guy, a friend that I can trust."

At this point, Leo felt so uncomfortable that he needed to turn away, return to keeping his hands busy with what he could do best: Fixing mechanical things. He began to wonder if social awkwardness was a trait all the children of Hephaestus inherited from their godly parent. He knew how to deal with machines, metal, wires, even chemicals… But people? They kind of scared him.

"Do you only say this, to somehow keep team moral up? Because you know that we are stuck together for better or worse?" Leo said, for once not beating around the bush with a witty remark. If he always said what he was thinking, people might start avoiding him altogether, but in this situation, he wanted to be honest for once.

"No, I mean what I said. Over the years, I've become good at reading people. And since we spent so much time together building the Argo II, I got to know you a little, even if you try to hide a lot behind humour and sarcastic remarks. You're a hard worker and care a lot about your friends. You spent so much time and effort into building this ship, even though you knew this quest would bring a lot of hardships. You didn't even know Percy, but still did everything to get to him in time."

Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder again and squeezed it lightly. The gesture felt gentle and reassuring. Leo didn't dare to look into her eyes. "I am grateful that you helped me to get Percy back. And I am glad to have you on our team." She squeezed his shoulder one more time, then turned away to continue working on some machinery at the other end of the room.

Before she was out of earshot Leo said "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." His voice was kind of coarse, as if he might start crying if he got any more emotional.

"You're welcome."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey ho, I hope you enjoy the second chapter! Reviews, especially criticism is always welcome!** **:-)**

 **Chapter 2 – The start of a beautiful friendship**

 _"_ _Man, you gotta trust me."  
Frank's heart raced. Did he trust Leo? Well, sure … with an engine. With a practical joke. But with his life?  
He remembered the day they had got stuck in the underground workshop in Rome. Gaia had promised they would die in that room. Leo had promised he would get Hazel and Frank out of the trap. And he'd done it. Now Leo spoke with the same kind of confidence.  
"Okay." Frank handed Leo the pouch. "Try not to kill me."  
Leo's hand blazed. The pouch didn't blacken or burn._

\- _The House of Hades_

Frank couldn't sleep. It wasn't even the nightmares that kept him awake. There were just so many thoughts in his head, like traffic during rush hour, that made sleeping a nearly impossible task. Finally surrendering to his restlessness, Frank got out of bed and walked upstairs on deck. Maybe some fresh air might help to clear his mind.

He stood at the railing, watching the waves and listening to the sound when they splashed against the ship. The moon was covered by clouds, making the sea look like one big carpet of pitch-black darkness. From a Google Earth point of view, the Argo II must look quite lost, but he still felt relatively save on the ship (as save as you can feel on this quest of madness).

"Can't sleep, huh?" a familiar voice suddenly said.

Frank nearly jumped overboard, he didn't expect anybody else to be awake. Stupid, someone must steer the ship, he scolded himself. Said person was none other than Leo Valdez, the crew's personal fire imp and repair boy.

Frank still had mixed feelings about this guy. At the start of their journey, he thought of him mainly as annoying, especially since he seemed to take too much interest in his girlfriend, Hazel. At the same time, he couldn't deny that this scrawny Latino might be some kind of genius (how else to you build and maintain such a ship and do all the other mechanical stuff?), which annoyed him even more. Plus, Leo chose him as a target to make fun of. Frankly said, he didn't really like the guy at the beginning.

But then they travelled halfway across the world and had to rely on each other on more than one occasion. Leo opened the fortune cookie to save him and Hazel without knowing the price for it (he might as well have literally sacrificed an eye to save them. That is why he never blamed Leo for Percy and Annabeth's fall into Tartarus). Leo even got him a fireproof bag for his lifeline (a very flammable piece of wood) which was a huge relief for Frank. With this, he could worry way less that his life would go up in flames at any moment.

And then there was their visit to Delos, the sacred island of Apollo and Artemis. When Leo told him and Hazel of his plan to sacrifice himself and most likely die (even with the Physician's Cure it wasn't guaranteed that he could come back to life), something twisted in his gut. That's when Frank truly realised that Leo has become a good friend and a very important person to him. He was part of their little quest family as much as all the others.

"Uh, have you gone mute overnight, Big Guy?", Leo interrupted his train of thought. Frank didn't notice that he moved to stand at the helm beside Leo, without answering said guy's first question.

"No… no, I'm not. And yes, I can't sleep." He finally managed to reply. "You're planning on steering the ship all night?"

"Nah, Coach Hedge will come up here in an hour or so, then I'll get some rest. But seriously, are you okay, Zhang?" Leo studied him with a raised eyebrow and a slight grin. This guy would never stop mocking him, would he? But Frank also saw something else in his eyes. It was genuine concern.

"Yeah, I'm just tired… There is so much happening right now, my mind can't keep up with it."

"Huh, I know what you mean" Leo turned his face away from in, facing whatever lied before them, his expression somewhat distant. A few weeks back Frank never would have guessed that this jokester thought about anything else than his ship and his newest inventions. Now he was aware that there was much more going on behind the jokes and light-hearted behaviour.

A sudden feeling of guilt nagged his conscience. Following a spontaneous instinct, he spoke up: "I'm sorry for telling you that you care more about your ship than your friends."

With surprise written all over his face, Leo turned to look at him again, like he really didn't expect this kind of conversation to come up. "Uh, it's okay man, don't sweat it. Besides, I sometimes get overexcited whenever something mechanical is involved so you might have actually had a point."

"Maybe… but I guess it's actually a good thing to have a nerd on board that knows his stuff."

"Heh, says the guy that turns into an Iguana to get out of Chinese handcuffs!"

"Whatever Valdez, at least I didn't destroy half of New Rome." Judging from Leo's suddenly grim expression, Frank realised that he had hit a nerve. "Dang it! I'm sorry man, I didn't mean it like that! We all know that it wasn't your fault!"

"Yeah… But I keep on thinking… If I could have done anything to prevent this shit from happening."

"I don't think so. Even our two superheroes nearly killed each other because they were possessed by the same kind of evil spirit." Frank really meant that. Leo shrugged his shoulders as if trying to shake off his seriousness. "I guess you're right. Superheroes, eh? Never thought I would travel the world with Superman and Aquaman!" Both laughed at that.

Then, Leo got this gleam in his eyes whenever an idea started to form in his head. "Y'know, since we had such a rocky start, why not start anew. We are all part of the same Justice League, now are we?" The short boy with elflike ears straightened up, puffing out his chest and offered Frank his hand with a big gesture.

"Hi, I'm Leo Valdez, Bad Boy Supreme, admiral and repair boy!"

Smiling, Frank took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'm Frank Zhang, newly promoted praetor, changeling and a cute bulldog when needed. Pleased to meet you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, I finally managed to write a third chapter for this series! I hope you enjoy reading the story so far! If so please review... tell me what you like or don't like, if I made grammar or spelling mistakes or if you have a better idea for the plot. Every kind of feedback is welcome :)**

 **Chapter 3 - To thrive and prosper**

 **Contains spoilers for "The Dark Prophecy"**

 _»_ _"_ _I travel fast and light," Leo said. "I've covered that much distance before by myself. I can do it."  
Calypso did not look pleased. Her complexion turned just a shade lighter than her yellow legal pad.  
"Hey, mamacita, I'll come back," he promised. « (from The Dark Prophecy)_

Hands were digging through the dirt, finding and plugging out weed. At first glance, her hands looked delicate, but in truth they were strong and kind of callused. Specks of earth and fertilizer were all over her jeans and shirt, but she didn't mind. Calypso never minded getting her hands dirty by gardening or full of blisters while weaving. In fact, she enjoyed it, because it was one of the few things that kept her grounded during her isolation on Ogygia.

A few meters away, Emmie was busy planting new flowers for the upcoming spring. The rooftop of the waystation was going to look beautiful when they would start to blossom. Emmie was humming an upbeat tune, seemingly in a good mood. It happened a lot since she and Josie got her adoptive daughter Georgina back. A heavy weight seemed to have been lifted from the shoulders of the elder couple.

The waystation has become a lively place ever since they freed Commodus' prisoners and even got a few additional occupants. Calypso got on well with them, even started to dislike Lit a little less. She spent her days here in peace, helping to maintain the waystation and having more company than the last three millennia. She also just finished her first week of high school, which was an adventure for itself.

Calypso wasn't bothered in the slightest by all the gossip of pubescent teenagers or this whole hierarchy of popularity thing, not even by some boasting guys trying to flirt with her (but she quickly made it clear that she was already taken). Compared to her thousands of years of life, this was nothing. Instead she spent most of her time being amazed at how much civilization and life in general have changed. Especially all that new technology was often giving her a headache. This would still take quite a while to get used to.

All in all, she was happy. This is was exactly what she had longed for after so many years of isolation. But she couldn't yet fully enjoy her new life yet. Leo was still missing, having flown away on his bronze dragon two weeks ago to warn Camp Jupiter of the upcoming attack. With all ways of communication blocked, all she could to was wait, hoping that he was all right. Hoping that he was alive. Hoping that he would return yet again. Hoping and waiting, two words she hated by now, especially in combination.

After Leo rescued her from Ogygia (though she would never admit that he "rescued" her; he would be insufferable for weeks) the two of them were inseparable for six months trying to find their way out of the Sea of Monsters and yet another six weeks, escorting Apollo/ Lester to Indianapolis. Having to depend on one another to deal with constant danger really helps getting to know another person. But it can also cause quite a lot of tension on a relatively new relationship. As such her emotions have been varying from feeling close to Leo (like she has never felt close to anyone before) to wanting to strangle him on the spot. To sum it up, their relationship was pretty intense.

Another thing that always bothered her, was that she had to depend on him for a lot of things. She had to depend on him getting her off that island, leading them back to camp and teaching her the basics of this modern world. She never liked to depend on anyone.

But now that she was theoretically independent after such a long time (even without Leo, now she could go and live wherever she wanted to), missing Leo really hurt. Until their separation two weeks ago she didn't realize how important he has become to her. This scrawny, short, charbroiled runt of a boy had her heart in a firm grip, a fact he probably wasn't even aware of. He was too insecure to realize that.

It wasn't like it had been with the other heroes that landed on Ogygia before him. Back then she was so lonely that she tried to grasp any kind of emotional connection to another person. And that these heroes were not only good-looking, but also had a formidable character didn't make things easier.

With Leo it was entirely different from the beginning. Their love began as friendship. It was built on helping each other, traveling and surviving together. A few months were like a small stone on the endless road of time, which she travelled longer than any mortal ever could. But it has been enough to let her experience so many new things. The most important of all: Really loving someone. Wishing for the other's wellbeing as much as for one's own, maybe even more. Wanting that person to grow and prosper.

With that thought in mind, Calypso planted the last seedling, gently covering its roots with fresh earth.


End file.
